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RUAG acquires Cyber Security specialist Clearswift

Bern (CH), Theale (UK); 20.12.2016. The RUAG Defence division is acquiring the British Cyber Security specialist Clearswift. With this acquisition, RUAG is making a significant investment in the expansion and long-term development of its cyber security business. Clearswift's leading products will be a significant addition to the RUAG Defence Cyber Security business unit. As previously announced, the business unit will be headed by cyber security expert Dietmar Thelen as of 1 January 2017.

“The acquisition of Clearswift ideally complements our existing portfolio of products and services. By combining our expertise in network defence with Clearswift’s data loss prevention and gateway solutions we will further boost our efforts to make RUAG Defence one of the leading cyber security specialists”, emphasises Dr. Markus A. Zoller, CEO of the RUAG Defence division. “We are aiming to become a principal solution and service provider for organisations of all sizes and across all verticals, including local and national government organisations, financial institutions and critical infrastructure providers. Clearswift’s global partner network and customer base in conjunction with its analyst-recognised solutions will play a key role in the growth of the RUAG Defence cyber security business unit.”

“I am confident that our expertise, together with the existing service and product offering, will augment the RUAG portfolio and drive further innovation”, says Clearswift CEO Heath Davies. Clearswift specialises in information security, offering companies around the world adaptive cyber security solutions for the effective protection of business-critical information against internal and external threats. It enables its clients to have secure continuous collaboration across email, web and the endpoint through its Adaptive Data Loss Prevention product suite. In the current year Clearswift is expected to generate over GBP 23 million in revenues with its 140 employees.

The RUAG Defence division had already announced in September 2016 that it was speeding up the expansion of its Cyber Security business unit and investing multiple millions of Swiss francs over the next few years. The acquisition of Clearswift and the establishment of a separate Cyber Security business unit represents another decisive step to becoming leaders in this area. The internationally experienced manager and cyber security expert Dietmar Thelen has been appointed to head the new business unit as of 1 January 2017.

The parties have agreed to keep the purchase price confidential. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval in certain jurisdictions. A decision by regulatory bodies is expected within Q1 2017.

RUAG develops and markets internationally sought-after technology applications in the fields of aerospace and defence for use on land, in the air and in space. 55% of RUAG's products and services are destined for the civil market and 45% for the military market. The Group is headquartered in Berne, Switzerland. It has production sites in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Australia and the USA. Around 8,200 employees – of whom 410 are trainees – generate sales of some CHF 1.75 billion.Clearswift is trusted by organisations globally to protect their critical information, giving them the freedom to securely collaborate and drive business growth. Its unique technology supports a straightforward and ‘adaptive’ data loss prevention solution, avoiding the risk of business interruption and enabling organisations to have visibility and control of their critical information 100% of the time. As a global organisation, Clearswift is headquartered in the United Kingdom, with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia and Japan and an extensive partner network across the globe.